"He had the words" : the search for truth in the fiction of Bruce Brooks
- UNCW Author/Contributor (non-UNCW co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Sheryl Long (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW )
- Web Site: http://library.uncw.edu/
- Advisor
- Catherine Ross-Stroud
Abstract: Bruce Brooks, an award-winning author of adolescent literature, is most often
classified as a writer of adolescent sports fiction. Critics like Chris Crowe tend to regard
his works as typical of adolescent literature and, therefore, expect Brooks’s main
characters to reconcile with authority. Although Brooks does focus on characters who
are in conflict with authority, he does not always show these characters as finally
accepting their prescribed roles. In The Moves Make the Man and What Hearts, Brooks
creates two similar narratives in which his main characters seek to find truth through their
control of discourse. As Roberta Trites says is typical of adolescent literature, both books
depict adolescents who are exploring their ability to exert power. Applying the
philosophical theories of Michel Foucault to The Moves Make the Man and What Hearts
shows that the characters in these novels are conflicted by their desire for power and their
need for freedom. They attempt to attain freedom through confession but find that
freedom is not available without submission. In The Moves Make the Man, narrator
Jerome Foxworthy depends on his use of words to overcome the oppressive authority of
institutional discourses while Bix Rivers exercises control of the discourse through his
silence. Although both boys are searching for freedom, neither is willing to relinquish
authority. While these characters need to exert power, that power is dependent on their
relationships with others. In What Hearts, Asa Hill uses discourse to structure his world
and to create his identity. Asa comes to understand that he must use words and silence;
and he recognizes that while he can assert power, he does not necessarily want to do so.
His final acceptance of a less authoritative role within the institutional discourse of the
family fulfills the established expectation of adolescent literature.
"He had the words" : the search for truth in the fiction of Bruce Brooks
PDF (Portable Document Format)
159 KB
Created on 1/1/2009
Views: 1772
Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- A Thesis Submitted to the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Maters of Arts
- Language: English
- Date: 2009
- Keywords
- Brooks Bruce The moves make the man--Criticism and interpretation, Brooks Bruce What hearts--Criticism and interpretation, Young adult literature
- Subjects
- Young adult literature
- Brooks, Bruce. What hearts -- Criticism and interpretation
- Brooks, Bruce. The moves make the man -- Criticism and interpretation